Nintendo of America recently clarified that the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 will steer clear of using Hall effect sensors in the analog sticks of its Joy-Cons and Pro Controllers. This revelation came from Nate Bihldorff, the Senior Vice President of Product Development & Publishing, during an interview with Nintendo Life. Despite this choice, Bihldorff assured fans that the new console’s analog sticks are crafted with longevity in mind.
“The Joy-Con 2’s controllers are designed from scratch, and while they’re not using Hall effect sticks, they still offer a great feel,” Bihldorff stated. “With every new piece of hardware Nintendo releases, we aim to deliver the finest experience possible. This commitment extends to the immediate interaction of Joy-Cons with games, as well as the long-term durability of our products.”
For those who remember, the original Nintendo Switch suffered from persistent stick drift issues, where analog sticks would veer off on their own without any input. This led to numerous class-action lawsuits, prompting apologies from Nintendo’s leadership and the introduction of free replacement programs for affected sticks.
For those unfamiliar, Hall effect sticks employ a more advanced method of assessing joystick movement compared to traditional potentiometers. Traditional analog sticks rely on a wiper moving against contact pads to change voltage, determining stick position. On the other hand, Hall effect mechanisms utilize magnets to track movement. Over time, potentiometer-based sticks can wear down, leading to drift. Given that Hall effect sticks have found favor in third-party controllers and magnetic PC keyboards, Nintendo’s choice to dismiss this technology may seem perplexing.
Nonetheless, Bihldorff emphasized that ensuring durability was a central priority during the redesign of the Switch’s controllers. This was echoed during a recent developer roundtable, where Switch 2’s product leads discussed their efforts. Kouichi Kawamoto, the producer for Switch 2, commented that “at first glance, the Nintendo Switch 2 Pro Controller might look similar to its predecessor, but it has been reimagined from the ground up.”
Additionally, Tetsuya Sasaki, the hardware lead, shed light on Nintendo’s vision for controller development. “We’ve pursued an ambitious goal at Nintendo to create the ultimate controller,” Sasaki mentioned. While he didn’t confirm if the Switch 2 has realized this ambition, the newly introduced “smooth-gliding switches” are clearly a source of accomplishment for the team.
As we look forward, we’ll only know in time if Nintendo has effectively tackled the early stick drift issues observed with Joy-Cons. Given that drift often appeared within six months of use on the original hardware, resolution of this issue without adopting Hall effect tech remains to be seen. Stay tuned for more insights into Nintendo’s new hardware, including details on its DLSS and ray tracing features, by visiting our Switch 2 coverage.
